Java EE 7 Now in Public Review

The public review process for the Java Enterprise Edition 7 (Java EE 7) specification is currently underway. Being developed as JSR 342, the Java EE 7 spec is available to anyone who wants to kick its tires until February 11. The new spec is scheduled for release this spring.

Topping the list of changes/enhancements in this release of the enterprise Java spec are simplification, productivity, and support for a number of Web standards, including HTML5, Web Sockets, JSON and a modern HTTP client API.

This release also "lays the groundwork" for better cloud support in Java EE 8. The JSR cites the need for "enhancements to the platform for use in cloud environments in a future Java EE 8 release." The spec addresses such issues as resource definition metadata, improved security configuration and database schema generation.

Oracle has been talking about cloud enhancements in the enterprise Java spec for more than a year. During his 2011 JavaOne keynote, Cameron Purdy, vice president of development at Oracle, said that, although Java EE was probably then behind the curve on cloud, it was the best place from which to standardize.

"The question we have to answer is, How do we create the next generation of the Java EE platform that is geared for the style of application and the infrastructure represented by cloud computing environments?" he said. "We’re talking about being able to run on any of the Infrastructure-as-a-Service offerings, for example, being able to create application containers that run on anything from EC2 to private cloud infrastructures, all the way down to virtualization technologies."

Ease of development is another priority in this release, which will include a revised and greatly simplified Java Message Service (JMS) 2.0 API.

The new spec also enhances the CDI dependency injection facility introduced in Java EE 6. CDI–Content and Dependency Injection is a standards-based, modern programming framework designed to make it easier for developers to build dynamic applications. The JSR includes under "ease of development" ease of deployment, which in this release involves a broadening of the resource definition facilities (which were part of Java EE 6) to "encompass more of the standard platform resource types." This release will also provide default database and JMS connection factory resources, and improved configuration of application security.

The Java Community Process (JCP) requires a 30- 90-day period during which the general public can review and comment on any draft specification.